Jazz piano legend Oscar Peterson dead at 82

TORONTO (Reuters) - Oscar Peterson, who sat atop the world
of jazz piano for decades with his driving two-handed swing,
technical wizardry and rapid-fire solos, died on Sunday of
kidney failure, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp reported. He was
82.

One of jazz's most recorded musicians, both as leader and
accompanist, Peterson came from working class beginnings in
Montreal -- where his father let him pursue music only if he
promised to be "the best" -- to become a major influence on
generations of top-flight musicians.

Since blasting onto the world stage with a famous
appearance at New York's Carnegie Hall in 1949, the beefy high
school dropout amassed armfuls of honorary degrees and awards,
including a 1997 Grammy for Lifetime Achievement and an
International Jazz Hall of Fame Award.

Canada made him a Companion of the Order of Canada, the
country's highest civilian honor, as well as the first living
Canadian to be depicted on a stamp.